Sh*ck In Benue: 19 Children Freed From Human Traffickers By Benue Links

According to Ireporter Online, Benue Links, the state-owned transport company, has announced the rescue of 19 minors from suspected trafficking incidents within the past two weeks.

The company’s General Manager, Comrade Alexander Fanafa, disclosed the development during a media briefing in Makurdi over the weekend. He highlighted the company’s growing role in countering human trafficking and reaffirmed its collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Fanafa revealed that five children were intercepted just last week while being taken to Jos in Plateau State, noting that the situation was confirmed to be a trafficking case. He further recounted other recent interventions, including the rescue of 11 children from Lagos who were returned safely to Makurdi and handed over to NAPTIP. Additionally, two more were recovered days later, while another child was reunited with her family in Zaki-Biam after being transported free of charge from Lagos to Makurdi and then on to her hometown.

Expressing concern over the rising cases of human trafficking across Nigeria, the General Manager emphasized that Benue Links remains one of the few transport operators working directly with NAPTIP. He explained that the company not only intercepts children being trafficked but also retrieves and returns victims brought into Benue through other means, all without charging the families.

Fanafa commended the vigilance of his staff, pointing out that both he and the company’s officers have undergone specialized NAPTIP training to detect and respond to trafficking cases. “We have safety, security, traffic, and monitoring officers who have been trained to use their eagle eyes to identify when a child is being trafficked,” he said.

Operating across 35 states, Fanafa reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting government agencies in the fight against human trafficking and pledged to continue efforts toward achieving a trafficking-free Benue and a safer Nigeria.